A Solarpunk approach to humanity's option for success in Universe

02/24/2015

Solarpunk is an all-encompassing revolt against the established fossil fuel economy, against the pervasive ugliness of modern infrastructure, architecture, artifacts, and apparel, against the predominant zeitgeist of inevitable dystopia and doom. It is a revolt in favor of a renewable energy-based sufficiency economy designed to work for everyone instead of a "growth" economy that only works for the extremely wealthy, in favor of an aesthetics of beauty and diversity (think: styles like Art Noveau, Art Deco, and reinvigorated traditional styles from around the world), in favor of a positive vision of the future worth working for and living to see.

Imagine cities and villages as beautiful as Venice or Eguisheim, but ingeniously designed to incorporate passive solar heating and cooling and urban agriculture. Everything you need is within easy walking distance because these cities are designed for people rather than automobiles. For longer distances, there are trains, subways, trolley cars, bikes, or self-driving electric cars you can dial up on demand, then meet at a station on an arterial street. We will be discussing Solarpunk transport in greater detail in future posts.

Imagine having all the money you now spend to buy, insure, maintain, and fuel a car that spends most of its time sitting in a driveway or parking space unused, being returned to your pocket, available to spend on attractive, quality clothes, hand-crafted furniture and decor, education, fine dining, savings, interesting trips...or you could work less and have more free time to use as you please.

Imagine oceans, forests, and meadows being restored to health, and a human civilization that has solved the old perennial problems of poverty, injustice, war, discrimination, and oppression, and moved on to grander and more interesting challenges.

These are the themes of Solarpunk, and "Eutopia" as I will be using the term here. "Eutopia" refers not to a "perfect" society (there's no such thing, as different people have different ideas of "perfection"), but to a good society that seeks to maximize prosperity and happiness for each individual and the community as a whole, while operating in a way that benefits rather than harms the planetary biosphere of which it is inextricably a part. Before we can attempt to create a eutopia, we must first be able to imagine it. Let's stop the doom and dystopia train. It's time to get off.

Whether it is to be Utopia or Oblivion will be a touch-and-go relay race right up to the final moment. . . . Humanity is in ‘final exam’ as to whether or not it qualifies for continuance in Universe.